What’s the average price for Lake Michigan homes vs homes a few blocks inland?

What’s the average price for Lake Michigan homes vs homes a few blocks inland?

Lake-adjacent pricing is a different asset class. Inland homes trade like normal housing; true lakefront/deeded-beach/lake-view inventory trades like scarcity-driven luxury—the premium can be huge depending on beach rights, view corridor, bluff condition, and setback limits.

Market context (inland baseline)

• Berrien County median sale price (Oct 2025): ~$297K

• Porter County median sale price (Oct 2025): ~$333K

Harbor Country “prime inland” example

• 49106 (Harbor Country zip) median sale price (Oct 2025): ~$453K

Lakefront pricing reality (why “average” is tricky)

Lake Michigan lakefront volume is low and the range is wide (buildable parcels to trophy homes). For example, Union Pier lakefront listings can span from “starter waterfront-ish” to eight-figure trophy territory.

What drives the premium (the real levers)

• Beach rights (deeded vs association vs none)

• Bluff stability / erosion history

• Setback constraints (can you rebuild?)

• View corridor (protected vs easily blocked)

• Septic + well feasibility (or municipal availability)